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'X-Files' stars Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny take a knee

The sci-fi actors join the protest that has so many NFL players locking arms or going to one knee in this weekend's games.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Cooper
2 min read

They want to believe -- in justice. "X-Files" stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny both tweeted out a photo Monday night showing the two actors with arms linked and each on one knee, using the hashtag #TakeAKnee. 

More 'X-Files' news

The hashtag and both the arm linking and bended knee refer to the actions of NFL players during the national anthem to protest police injustice against minorities. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the protest movement last football season and it has grown this fall. President Donald Trump made headlines over the weekend for his remarks at an Alabama political rally urging NFL owners to fire players who protest.

Anderson and Duchovny appear to be on the set of "The X-Files," which is returning with an 11th season consisting of 10 new episodes expected to air later this year or in 2018. Filming began in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Both Duchovny's and Anderson's tweets, which show the same photo, quickly went viral. In just over an hour, Anderson's was retweeted more than 4,400 times and liked more than 12,000 times. Duchovny's was retweeted more than 2,500 times and liked more than 7,500 times, and both were continuing to climb at press time.

Many fans replied with supportive tweets of their own.

And in a controversial topic, some fans found the traditional "X-Files" recipe of serious with a side of humor.

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